Hayden Hackney has shown himself to be one of England’s brightest young prospects at Middlesbrough. And, amid links of a move to Everton, he could be the creative spark David Moyes is currently missing.

Rumours around Hackney’s future at Middlesbrough, who sit second in the Championship table behind Frank Lampard's Coventry City, have been circulating for the past two seasons, and he saw a £20m transfer to Ipswich Town collapse in August.

Around that time there were suggestions that Everton were willing to hijack the deal. That never transpired and the 23-year-old, who won the European Under-21 Championship with Lee Carsley's England in June, chose to stay at Boro.

But Hackney has shown his quality against Premier League teams in...